xploration and production (E&P) operators often say that it is not a lack of data related to well performance that is the problem, but rather the lack of sufficient, actionable insights. In order to continue to drive margin improvement at the wellhead, finding ways to interpret data meaningfully and implement impactful changes based on those interpretations is key. Operations teams are running lean and struggle to find the time during their already busy days of data analysis and fighting fires to focus on production optimisation. So, the question for operators remains: how can they get more with their existing workforce? This is where digital oilfield technologies utilising artificial intelligence (AI) can make a difference. Leveraging over 250 million hours of labelled operations data, Ambyint delivers improvements to E&P outcomes and margins by combining physics and subject matter expertise with AI to automate and optimise production operations and engineering workflows across all well types. These solutions help operations teams scale their processes across large well populations by automating repetitive, manual tasks. AI can increase an operator’s workforce efficiency by at least 25% through actionable real-time information, early detection of well anomalies and autonomous setpoint changes, resulting in more wells being managed and optimised daily. Ultimately, E&P companies see production levels increase as high as 7% and operating costs drop as much as 30%, improving bottom line performance and answering the question of how to get more with their existing workforces. Additionally, when production optimisation solutions are implemented and operations become more efficient, other benefits come online, such as reductions in failure rates on rod lift wells and reduced greenhouse gas emissions on plunger lift wells. Ambyint has demonstrated these outcomes across major North American basins, providing proof points to other E&P companies wanting to achieve similar results. This article takes a closer look at these proof points.
Increased production An E&P operator in the Marcellus Shale, US, utilising legacy production optimisation tools to manage a field of horizontal, plunger lift gas wells had plateaued in driving further operational improvements. Many of the wells experienced production-impacting anomalies, well instability and unoptimised controller setpoints. The operator searched for technological solutions to optimise these wells further and increase production volumes. Ambyint deployed its plunger lift optimisation solution, InfinityPLTM, across the operator’s approximately 300-well asset, enabling enhanced analytics, physics-based insights and improved management of plunger open/close triggers and setpoints. By implementing the recommendations made by the software, the operator realised a 7% increase in production volumes as well as improved operational scalability (Figure 1).
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